This invention relates to polypeptides and nucleic acid sequences involved in aging, as well as methods for their use.
As the average age of the population of the United States and other countries increases, there is a growing interest in efforts to delay the aging process. It has long been accepted that environmental factors which trigger DNA damage or are otherwise toxic to cells might negatively influence longevity. Increasingly, the role of genetics in this process has become accepted as well, and has resulted in a search for genes which participate in and control aging or senescence. These genes are valuable because they may encode therapeutic products which retard senescence or death. Alternatively, these proteins may be used as targets for the design or isolation of antagonist-type drugs which themselves prolong life-span or delay the onset of age-related conditions.